rixson



0. C. RIXSON.

LOCK.

APPLICATION EILED NOV. 27, I9l8- 1,3 1 6,326. Patented Sept. 16, 1919.

W 2 SHEETSSHEET l.

I I V 3 INVENTOR. I 0pm BY A T ORNEYS THE COLUMBIA Fi-QPCOGIAFN Cm. IAIHING'I'ON, a. c.

OSCAR C. RIXSON, OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK.

LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 16, 1919.

Application filed November 27, 1918. Serial No. 264,358.

T 0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OSCAR C. RIXSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Rochelle, in the county of l/Vestchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to door locks and its primary object is to provide a lock, which, while possessing the characteristics of a latch lock, will also have the advantages of. a dead lock. The construction and operation of my improved lock will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the lock with one of the casing plates removed and showing the face plate in section;

Fig. 2 is a section of the lock along the line w:v of Fig. 1; i

Fig. 3 is a section along the line yy of Fig. 1;

P Fig. 1 is a section along the line zz of Figs 5, 6 and 7 are detail views of parts of the lock;

Fig. 8 is a face View of the striker plate;

Fig. 9 is an end View thereof;

Fig. 10 is an edge view of the face plate of the lock showing its relation to the strike plate; and

Figs. 11, 12 and 13 are partial views of the lock showing the mechanism in different stages of its operation.

The lock is represented as an ordinary mortise look, but it will be understood that the lock may be mounted against the face of a door, as well as within its frame. The lock casing comprises the usual rectangular structure having the two side plates 1 and 2 spaced apart by a surrounding edge flange 3, and a face plate 4 which, when the lock is in position, faces the jamb of the door and is opposed by the strike plate secured to the jamb of the door. Projecting through a.

suitable orifice in the face plate dis a cam or strike actuated member 5 pivotally mounted in the face plate on'the pin 6 and adapted to be forced inward by the engagement of its surface 7 with the lip ofthe strike as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3.

' A stop pin 8 limits the outward movement of the cam. Inside 1 of the lock casing the heel of the cam bears against a roller which is carried by the end of a lever 10 pivoted upon a stud 11 projecting from theside of thecasing. The lever extends beyond its pivot approximately threetimes the distance of the roller from the pivot so that the stroke of the end carrying the roller is approximately one-third of that of the opposite end. This leverage, however, is subject to change as may be required. A spring 12 bears against the roller with a tendency to force the latter against the heel of the cam and thus hold the cam in its outermost position.

The bolt of the lock is indicated by '13; it is rectangular in shape and normally occupies an opening in the face plate, and in its retracted position is flush with the face plate. The bolt is provided with two tail rods 14 and 15 firmly fixed thereto and ex tending rearward and parallel along nearly the entire depth of the lock, and at their extremities are firmly connected together by a cross'plate 16 which is adapted to move between two guiding flanges 17 and 18 formed upon one of the side plates of the casing. The bolt, tail rods and cross plate, form a single structure adapted to move outward and inward together, the outward movement being limited by a'lug 19 projeoting from one of the side plates, against which the cross plate 16 strikes. The tail rod His surrounded by a coiled spring 20 which bears at one end against the rear face of the bolt 13, extends along the full length of the rod and rests at its other end against a fork 21 which embraces the rod and forms an extension from a loose link 22 provided with a slot 23. This spring is inserted under slight compression so that it normally holds the fork 21 against the cross plate 16. The free end of the lever 10 carries a pin 24 which projects into the slot 23 of the linkv and has free play along the same. Thus the spring 20 by acting upon the pin 24 through the link 22, normally augments the spring 12 in holding the cam 5 in its outermost position. It will beseen that-since the spring 20 is exerting its normal tension in opposite directions upon the bolt structure, ithas no effect to move the boltuin either direction. The tail rod 15' is also surrounded by a 'coil *spring 25 which; at its rear end, rests against 7 the stud 'll'towhich lever 10 is'also pivoted and in front of the latter to serve as awasher therefor, and with its free end resting against a pin 28 fixed to the side plate of the casing. This bell cranak does not actas such, and has no motion whatever, but affords a convenient way of furnishing a fixed stop for the front end of the spring 25. This spring is also normally under slight compression, but it is considerably weaker than the spring 20; its normal tension being exerted againstthe crossplate' 16 serves to hold the bolt structure firmly inits retracted position. v p

Ordinary means are provided for dead locking the bolt, consisting of the pawl 29 pivoted on a cross stud 30 near the center of the casing and with its forward end normally} pressed {against the under side of the bolt by a spring 31. This pawl is provided with a rearwardly projecting arm 32 having a cam surface adapted to be engaged in a manner hereinafter explained, to raise the arm32 and throw the forward end of the pawl downward. The bolt is provided with a shoulder'33 which is engaged by thepawl whenthe bolt has been projected its full distance to thereby dead lock the bolt until the pawl is released. Projecting upward from the pawl at a point near the pivot, is a lug 34 which is adapted to be engaged by a corresponding lug 35 formed upon the lever 10. This engagement takes place only when the lever moves to a position approximating that shown in Fig. 1, and under circumstancesto be hereinafter described.

For retracting the bolt, either by means of a'key or the door knobs, there is provided the usual lever 36 pivoted at 37 and held normally in a forward position by a spring 38. A rearward movement of this lever causes it to strike and move the cross plate 16. Theknob spindle, which is not illustrated, but which is understood to be of the two-part type with ,its sections swiveled together, passes through the usual two-part hub l-1, 12 which areturned in either direction to strike either the lug'39 or 40. Theselugs are carried byan intermediate lever 42 which 'swings to allow lugs'39 and 4:0 tostrike'the for'wardedge of lever 36 and'moveit rearward. One of the hub parts is provided with a peripheral notch 43 into which a "locking dog 44 is adapted to be projected when the-lock'is to be adjusted so that the bolt cannot be thrown by turning the knob on' the outside of the door. The mechanism fo-r throwing this small bolt'is also "of common'construction, consisting of the-plunger45' to'which the bolt is connected and' the head of which projects through the face plate 1 of the "lock; A corresponding p-lun'ger 46 also projects through the face plate and is 0011-,

might be passed into the space b t the face of the door and the j amb and applied to the head of either plunger. This locking device consists of a lever etS pivoted at 19 and having at its free'end a triangular lug 50, whichis adapted to engage with one side or the other of a correspondingly shaped, but reversed, lug 51 attachedto the plunger 45. With these two lugs held in engagement face to face, the plunger is held in either its inner or outer position.

In order to securely hold the lever 4:8 in engagement with the plunger while the door is closed, the lower end of the lever 10 is shaped at 52 to ride upon the upper curved edge of the lever 48 and, while the door is closed, rest at some point thereon so as to prevent the lifting of the lug 50 out of engagment with "the lug 51. While the door is open, the lever 10, as will hereinafter appear, is in the position shown in Fig. 1 where it does notprevent the lifting of the lever 48, so that when the finger is pressed against eitherof the plungers 45 or d6, the triangular surfaces of the two lugs will ride upon each other and permit'plunger 45 to either lock or unlock one of the hub parts.

To retract the bolt 13 by means of a key, the upper part of the casing is provided wlth a space 53 in which a cylinder lock is to be located, whicln'as usual, is provided with a crank arm to be thrown by the key along the curved path indicated by the dotted line, to thereby strike the upper end of lever 36 and move it rearward. Lever 3.6 is provided with a pin 51 which stands adjacent to the cam surface on the rearward extension 32 of the dead locking pawl 29 so that whenever said lever is thrown rearward to retract the bolt, thepin 'first tion with the operation of the lock. The

bolt in theu-pper part of the casing is a common device for securing the cylinder lock lnits'seat ln-the main lock and 1s not-a feature of the present invention.

{The striker F plate 57 .used in connection with't-he present-lock is illustrated in Figs.

8 and" Sand is provided with asingle orifice "56' for the reception of the bolt 13. The

cam 5 engages and traverses the solid portion of the striker plate and is held in its innermost position thereby while the door is closed.

The operation is as follows: With the door opened and the lock in normal condition the positions of the various parts are as seen in Fig. 1. To close and lock the door, the door is simply swung to its closed position. In this movement the cam first engages the lip of the striker plate, as indicated in Fig. 3, and is forced inward thereby to substantially the position shown in Fig. 11. Upon the inward movement of the cam the roller 9 is also forced rearward which causes the upper end of lever 10 to swing forward, the stroke of this end of the lever being considerably greater than that of the lower end. Link 22 is drawn forward and spring is further compressed, the entire tension thereof being then exerted against the bolt 13 to force it outward. The bolt responds only to the extent of engaging the solid part of the striker plate, as seen in Fig. 11, but when the door reaches its full closed position, the opening 56 in the striker plate is presented to the bolt, whereupon the spring pressure behind the latter projects the bolt into the orifice to the full extent of its throw, which is determined by the cross plate 16 striking the detent 19. At this time the shoulder 33 of the bolt passes beyond the end of the pawl 29 and the latter springs upward to dead lock the bolt, as seen in Fig. 12. It will be observed that as the movement of the upper end of lever 10 is considerably greater than that of the cam 5, and is also considerably more than the actual throw of the bolt, the bolt will be given its full throw notwithstanding the fact th. t the cam may be thrust inward only a fraction of its intended normal movement by the 'striker plate. For this reason, notwithstanding an unusually wide space between the face of the lock and the jamb, the full throw of the bolt can always be obtained. The spring 20 in moving the bolt outward further compresses the light spring against the stop 26.

To unlock the door the lever 36 is swung to the rear either by turning one of the knobs or by inserting and turning the key in the manner hereinbefore described. The first effect of this is to lift the rear end of the pawl by engagement between the pin 54: and the cam surface on the arm 32. This throws the forward end of the pawl out of engagement with the shoulder 33. Further movement of lever 36 is aided by the power stored in spring 25, but is opposed by the necessity of again compressing spring 20 into the space occupied in Fig. 11, because lever 10 is held immovable by the cam which is against the striker plate. The back of the lever 36 strikes the cross plate 16 and positively carries the bolt structure from the position shown in Fig. 12 to the position shown in Fig. 11, where the bolt is released from the orifice 56 in the strike plate, whereupon the door can be pushed open, allowing the cam to be pushed outward under the action of springs 20 and 12 and the parts to assume the position shown in Fig. l with the bolt structure held firmly retracted by the spring 25, and spring 20 inert.

By providing the elastic connection between the cam and the bolt which is afforded by thespring 20, and by providing for a multiplication of the movement between the cam and the bolt, it becomes possible to proj ect the bolt by spring power to any extent of throw as soon as the orifice in the strike plate is presented to it. Thus whatever throw of bolt may be required for security may be readily obtained in a lock of this character.

By carelessness or design the cam 5 might be pushed inward while the door is open. This would result, as can be easily understood, in throwing the bolt outward to its full limit where it would become dead locked by the pawl dropping into engagement with the shoulder 33. Obviously the door could not be closed with the lock in this condition and an attempt to do so might result in injury to the door or the lock. Accordingly when the pressure, which forced the cam inward, is removed, the spring 20 returns the link 22 and the lever 10 rearward, until the fork 21 of the link strikes cross-plate 16 as seen in Fig. 13. At this point the spring 12, which before had but slight purchase upon the end of lever 10, now exerts a strong push against the roller 9 causing the lug on lever 10 to forcibly strike'lug 3 1 on the pawl and knock the latter out of engagement with the shoulder 33, the pin 24 on lever 10 meanwhile traversing slot 23. This releases the bolt which is then retracted to its normal position, seen in Fig. 1, by the spring 25, the cam 5 meanwhile going to its outermost position. It is in this operation that the slot 23 in link 22 performs its function in permitting the upper end of lever 10 to swing rearward independently of the link.

The upright position of lever 10 as shown in Fig. 12 is the full throw position, but it will be understood that a shorter stroke due to the .cam not being pushed in so far would also serve to throw the bolt its full stroke. 120 In any final position when the door is locked the lower end of lever 10 rests upon the lever 48 and locks the disabling plunger in one or the other of its two positions.

I claim:

1. In a lock, the combination of a bolt, two springs acting thereon to efiect movement in opposite direction, a strike actuated member arranged to store power in one of said springs to project the bolt, and means 130 whereby the movement of the bolt under such power, will put the second spring under tension to retract the bolt In a lock, the combination of a bolt and two springs of different power, the stronger spring being normally inert to effect movement of the bolt while the weaker spring normally opposes the projection of 'the bolt, and means for applying power through the stronger spring to project the bolt.

3. In a lock, the combination of a bolt, a dead locl iing device therefior, a normally projecting member arranged when moved inward to project the bolt to its dead lockezl position, and means whereby the return of said member will release the dead lock.

4. In a lock, the combination of a bolt, a dead locking device therefor, a spring tending to retract the bolt, a normally projecting member arranged when moved inward to project the bolt to its dead locked position, and means whereby the return of said member will release the dead lock.

5. In a lock, the combination of a belt, a strike actuated bolt projecting member, a dead locking device for the bolt, key or knob operated mechanism, for retracting the bolt, and means whereby either the last mentioned mechanism or the said member may release the deadlocking device.

(3, In a lock, the combination of a knob locking plunger, a pawl for holding the same in either of two positions, and a strike a cti'iated bolt throwing mechanism adapted to engage and lock said pawl while the bolt is projected.

7. In a lock, the combination of a slidir g bolt provided with a tail rod, a spring surrounding the tail rod and bearing at one end against the head of the bolt, a link having a forked end embracing the tail rod against which the opposite end of the spring bears, a strike aetiiated member and connections between said link and member, for the purpose set forth.

8. In a lock, the combination of a sliding bolt provided with a tail rod, a spring surrounding the tail rod and hearing at one on each rod, across head connecting the tail rods together, one spring bearing against the cross-head and against a fixed support while the other spring bears against the head of the bolt, and a strike act ated member against which the latter spring also bears.

10. In a lock, the combination of a. bolt, two springs adapted to act thereo one spring be ng normally under tension to hold the bolt retracted and being of weaker power than the other spring, while said other spring is at the same time inert with respect to the bolt, and a strike actuated meinber adapted to store power in the latter spring to overcome that of the former lighter spring to project the bolt.

11. In a lock, combination of a knob locking plunger, a bolt, a pivoted lever spring pressed in one direction and strike actuated in the other, connections whereby the bolt is thrown by the lever and means whereby the lever locks and releases said P r.-

In witness whereof, I subscribe my signature.

OSCAR C. RIX'SON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

